I am currently writing a sci-fi/action/romance story. Read the original discussion here so you can see what I'm talking about: https://www.writingforums.org/threads/how-do-i-write-about-multi-day-events-such-as-going-to-school-every-day.131386/ If you have read the entire discussion, you know that the two main characters' names are Xavier and Vega. (Update: I removed Xavier's autism in a later version of the outline.) The story will be full of action once robots threaten to take over the world, so they are IN THE MIDDLE OF DANGER. I've always wanted to write about romance in a novel for a very long time, and I think it would be very interesting if they develop their bond when their lives are on the line, maybe as an outcome of one rescuing the other. I've had serious crushes on several girls before, but I've never been in a real relationship yet. Xavier and Vega will be in a romantic relationship. (I'm obsessed with Harry Potter and Twilight so I have a fairly good idea of how this works.) So I have two questions: 1) I know that kissing is often overused in novels, and I know I just have to follow MY OWN IDEAS since I'm the one who's writing it in the first place. However, I think it would be cool if instead of a full-on first kiss, they could almost kiss so that the tension builds up, and then something happens that spoils the moment. Feel free to give your opinions. 2) I'm not sure if I want Xavier and Vega to just live "happily ever after", or maybe slightly physically impaired as a result of the battle, or should I maybe let Vega be killed near the end to create a horrifying sense of despair for both Xavier and the reader?? (Mind you, they are in a romantic relationship, so I think it would be interesting if I could add a shocking twist for the story's climax by having her die, and then write about the intolerable amount of grief and agony that Xavier would go through.) Go ahead and provide feedback, whether positive or negative!
A kiss is just a kiss. You don't even need a kiss to build romance, just a simple touch can begin the ramp-up. A caress on the hand as they pass one another. After a dangerous moment, just a simple hug. A look, that can begin to lead towards something else. The kiss in some ways can be anti-climactic, because it is expected. Eyes work as wonders as well, so does breathing, and the sound of it. Focus on more than just one aspect, try to bring other senses into play and you may find the concept of romance will dramatically flare for your two heroes. Also, why does she have to die? ... That is so cliche. He can always die, or seem to die, and she is left alone, maybe until the final page when she turns a corner and sees him standing there. That is also cliche, but can work wonders if it's written right. Have fun with it, this is your story after all, go with the flow and in some ways, let the characters define what happens to them, you may be surprised by what happens if you let them lead the story.
Thank you very much for your feedback. Well, obviously they're not going to be kissing from the get-go. The kiss (or near-kiss) probably won't happen until they've known each other for a while, so there will definitely be a build-up to it. And about her dying, I would much rather have a dramatic turn of events take place than have them just living "happily ever after". Maybe having one character die could be a bit cliche, but I don't see how it's any less cliche than them just living together for the rest of their lives. Then again, maybe everything about romance novels in general is cliche...
Yes it will likely be aimed at that audience. I have no desire to have them explicitly engage in sex. I'm only thinking of building the events before the kiss (maybe a touch or hug), but I'm thinking that the first kiss is going to "almost" happen before an event interrupts it. Then again, Vega's probably going to be killed near the end of the story, so I'll probably just have to see where my story and characters take me.
It sounds like you have a good idea already. If you want a kiss (and I don't believe they're overdone), you could have the interrupted kiss at one point and a real kiss later. The important thing is you show how important they are to each other. Otherwise, if one dies, it won't be as effective. It's the difference between an acquaintance dying and a good friend dying. If the readers don't see that he truly cares for her, his reaction to her death will feel forced. (He doesn't have to show her these feelings, as long as the readers are shown or strongly hinted at them.)
The characters' feelings of affection will be developing more and more as the story progresses, of course. I'm thinking they will go from acquaintances to friends, then later they will develop their special bond towards each other, especially when they'll be in the middle of danger, helping each other survive.
Sorry about this, but I changed my ideas a little bit, regarding the antagonist. I mentioned a bully earlier on in the story, and I was thinking that for his backstory, he could have been Vega's former boyfriend before they broke up, and he might either try to get Vega back or devise plans to kill both of them out of anger and revenge.
